Nonprofit arts groups losing crucial county funds

May 10, 2007|By Ivette M. Yee Staff Writer

Palm Beach County has slashed funds for more than 50 nonprofit cultural organizations that serve thousands.

On Wednesday the county's Cultural Council received word from County Administrator Bob Weisman that its $800,000 development fund for midsized and small arts organizations had been eliminated from the proposed 2008 budget. The reason: to cut property taxes.

Dozens of arts organizations rely on the fund.

"I don't know what we are going to do," said Diane Freaney, chairwoman of the Lake Worth Playhouse, which had been set to receive $27,354. "We depend on this money for our advertising."

Other organizations that will be affected include the Delray Beach Historical Society, ArtiGras, the Levis Jewish Community Center's cultural art department and the Boca Raton Philharmonic Symphonia.

State legislators have been under the gun to cut property taxes in order to relieve residents of increasing financial burdens. The attempts are trickling down to local government.

The county's cultural development fund was established in 1999 to provide support to multicultural and children's cultural programming. It was enhanced three years ago to include midsized cultural groups that are community-based.

Cultural Council President and CEO Rena Blades said the funds are the only county dollars accessible to many of these groups.

She said the fund has not increased since 2003 and represented only 0.00018 percent of last year's $4.4 billion county budget.

"I am shocked," Blades said. "This is a fund that touches every commissioner's district. We're talking about thousands of people. In the big picture, the arts are an inexpensive investment for the county to make to ensure quality of life here."

The Cultural Council is urging arts organizations and the community to contact county commissioners, who could restore the funding during budget workshops.

"Please do not let them believe eliminating arts and culture from the county budget is OK," she said.

County staff will recommend a budget to the commission June 11, Blades said. The budget is scheduled to be approved by Sept. 30.

"I would be opposed to cutting the arts in any form," said Gerald Luongo, music director of the Boca Raton Singers, a community group that performs three concerts a year and would lose its $7,120 grant. "Many people depend on the arts as their only form of entertainment. The arts are the glue that keeps things together."

Ivette M. Yee can be reached at imyee@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6538.